Travel Around the World

I have always dreamed/wanted/wished about traveling the world and living in certain places for a period of my life. All of which is sort of ironic because I absolutely hate flying. One of my biggest fears in flying, though I do it. I do get on planes but it takes a lot of deep breathes, praying, and a little bit of hand holding.
I have had a lot of great opportunities in my life. One of the biggest opportunities was to live in London for the academic year. I was blessed again this summer to return to London and live there for two months of my summer. I will always be grateful for being able to live in London and one day I wish to return and live there again.

The reason why I am writing about traveling is because I just saw Eat Pray Love. I know, I know, I feel like a total cliche about wanting to find myself and to do so through traveling. This movie is a feel good, want to change your life after seeing it kind of movie, you just can't help it. As soon as I got home I decided I wanted to start making a list of all the places I want to travel to before I die. On my list...44 countries. And that is only the start of my list. I know, 44 seems very ambitious, but as James Dean once said, "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."

When I was about five years old I decided that I wanted to live and teach in India for a period of my life. The person who inspired me with this dream was my great-grandmother. Grammy, as we called her, lived and taught in India with my great-grandfather who unfortunately I never got to meet. Every time my sister, brother and I went over to her house to visit she would share her stories (I am surprised that she was able to keep our attention at that age). She shared stories of the children she taught and the places she traveled. She would always let me play with the jeweled elephant collection she bought in India and a figurine of a palace. I know cherish these "toys" at my house.

These are the things I asked for when she passed away. It is because of Grammy and her stories that the idea of living in India has always stuck with me and I hope that this "dream" will come true. Who knows, maybe that is where I will start of my list.